Corning Cable Systems (Hickory, NC; www.corning.com) plans to build a 250,000 square foot manufacturing plant for flame-retardant optical fiber cable, adjacent to its existing telecommunications cable plant. The facility is expected to open in mid-2001, and employ about 300 people. Corning's flame-retardant cables are currently manufactured at its Specialty Cable Plant (SCP), where cable assemblies are also produced. When the new plant comes on line, the SCP will be dedicated to manufacturing cable assemblies.

Meanwhile, Alcatel (Dallas; www.usa.alcatel.com) says it will triple capacity at its fiber optics production plants within two years. Alcatel currently produces fiber in six plants throughout the world, but the new investment will focus mainly on the major production plants in Claremont, NC and in Europe.